Page 47 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

One Year Later

ACE

T he thump of the bass pulses through the speakers like a heartbeat as I slide the crossfader bar, seamlessly transitioning from one song to the next. The acoustics of the ballroom at the lodge have always been decent, but the upgraded sound system that was installed during the renovation makes a world of difference. I definitely wouldn’t mind DJ’ing here on a regular basis.

That’s a distinct possibility, with the reopening of the Cedar Ridge Ski Resort to the public next week. The party tonight is just for the packs in our alliance, celebrating the ribbon cutting on the new and improved facilities. I hardly even remember what it was like when the businesses on the outskirts of our territory were operational, but everyone seems eager to reclaim the income from tourism that we’ve missed out on over the past decade.

There’s an actual DJ booth in the ballroom now, and I’m right at home up here with River and Seb, spinning tunes to keep the dance floor packed with bodies. It seems like everyone turned up tonight for the festivities– the party has spilled out onto the terrace, a steady stream of people trickling through the doors. Even our parents were here earlier to commemorate the occasion, though most of the elders left a while ago.

“Wanna pick the next song?” I ask River, swiveling my stool toward her.

She nods eagerly, coming over and climbing up onto my lap. “Whatcha thinkin’?” she asks as she leans in to look at my laptop screen, rolling her lower lip between her teeth as she browses the queue.

“Whatever you wanna hear,” I reply, hooking my chin over her shoulder.

Just like listening to music is better with her, DJ’ing is, too. I’ve slowly taught her how to work the tables over time, and since she’s got an ear for music, she’s taken to it like a fish to water.

I watch as she selects not just the next song, but six more to follow it, too.

“There,” she breathes, grinning in satisfaction as she sets the queue and slides off my lap.

I snatch her around the waist, yanking her back in. “Where do you think you’re going?” I growl.

“I think it’s time for a break,” she replies, tossing her long hair over a shoulder.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Seb chimes in, coming up behind River and curling his hands around her hips. “I say we sneak upstairs, check out the upgrades to room 209…”

She rolls her eyes, waving him off as she spins away from us. “Later. Right now, I wanna dance.”

“You know I don’t dance,” Seb replies flatly.

“That’s fine, Ace will dance with me,” Riv says smugly, shifting her gaze to me. “Right?”

“Of course,” I drawl, smirking at my best friend.

He frowns, but the moody bastard still follows us out of the DJ booth and out onto the dance floor, refusing to be left behind.

Seb doesn’t even realize how tightly River has him wrapped around her finger. I mean, I have no room to talk, but it’s amusing how oblivious he is to her tactics at this point. The three of us have hit a stride together over the past year while living and working together at the squad complex, and even though Seb and Riv still bicker like children, there’s no denying how much they adore each other. Same goes for River and me. I guess we just each have our own love language in our relationships, and as long as it works, I’m in no position to complain.

For as rocky as things started with our mating, it’s now smooth sailing. I look forward to waking up every day with my girl by my side and ending each one with the warmth of her body next to me. Or on top of me, or beneath me. Our friend groups have merged, and life is just… good . I’ve never been happier.

River leads us over to join her friends out on the dance floor, Gus tackling her with a hug the moment we approach.

“About time you got out here!” he slurs, stumbling a step when he lets her go.

Kendrick catches him by the elbow before he topples over, clapping him on the back with a laugh. “You alright, buddy?”

“Never better!” Gus exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

I can’t help but laugh as I watch him sway to the beat, obviously three sheets to the wind. Hayden isn’t in much better shape– she’s hanging off Kendrick, practically humping his leg. The two of them are officially an item now, so it’s not as weird as it sounds.

River starts shaking her ass to the music, Seb and I closing in on either side of her as she loses herself in the beat of the song. It rolls seamlessly into the next one, and I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed with her selection. It’s the perfect song to keep the crowd’s energy up. I couldn’t have picked a better one myself.

I used to prefer hiding out in the DJ booth, but these days, I’d rather be anywhere my girl is. Whether it’s tearing up the dance floor or going for a morning run out in the woods around the squad complex, I’m happiest when I’m by her side.

Maybe that makes me a sap, but in my eyes, it makes me the luckiest man on earth.

Five Years Later

SEB

“Anyone else need a drink?” River asks as she pulls a bottle of water from the cooler beside the firepit, glancing back over her shoulder.

“I’ll take a beer,” Gus replies.

She nods, reaching into the ice again to grab a can before knocking the lid of the cooler closed and tossing it over to him.

“Thanks!” he calls out as he catches it, wisely waiting before cracking it open.

River swings her gaze to Gus’ boyfriend seated beside him, arching a brow in question. “Luke, beer?”

“Nah, I’m good,” he answers with a smile, leaning into Gus’ side. “Gotta be up early tomorrow.”

“Shit, that’s never stopped me,” Beau snorts, raising his own beer to his lips and taking a long sip.

“Oh, we know,” Eli laughs.

River steps away from the cooler, making her way back around the firepit to her chair. I reach out to grab her by the wrist as she passes in front of me, pulling her down into my lap and banding my arms around her body. “You should rest,” I grumble.

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she huffs.

“Still,” I growl, placing a hand on her swollen belly. “You should be taking it easy, babe. Doctor’s orders.”

“Gonna have to agree with Seb on this one,” Ace chimes in, pinning our mate with a stern stare. “If you need something, you just tell us and we’ll get it for you.”

She rolls her eyes, though she knows better than to argue. Neither of us are willing to compromise when it comes to her well-being, so she just shifts around on my lap to get comfortable, leaning her head back against my shoulder.

“How’d your last checkup go, Riv?” Hayden asks curiously, resting a hand on her own, much smaller baby bump.

“Fine,” River sighs. “The pups are healthy, the doc just wants me to slow down now that I’m entering the third trimester.”

“Makes sense,” Kendrick says, slinging an arm over his mate’s shoulders. “Hayden’s been having a hard enough time with one pup, it can’t be easy carrying two.”

“Easier than taking care of two babies once they’re born, I’m sure,” River replies with a soft chuckle.

“Good thing you’ve got two mates to handle that,” Hayden winks.

Riv grins back at her. “Exactly! I keep telling them that since I’m doing all the work for the first nine months, they get to handle the first nine after they’re out.”

“Do you really trust Seb to take care of a baby, though?” Eli snickers.

I point a finger in his direction, narrowing my eyes. “Hey, that’s Alpha Seb to you,” I tease.

Eli gives me a mock salute, chuckling to himself as he raises his beer to his lips.

It’s been too long since we got our friends together for a bonfire like this. The past year has been a whirlwind with our fathers retiring and the three of us stepping up to take pack rank in Summervale and Norbury. After a lot of back and forth, we ultimately decided to toss out the traditional structure of pack hierarchy. Instead, all three of us are Alphas of both packs. Though there were some initial growing pains in working out how to jointly lead, the arrangement has worked out even better than we hoped, each pack thriving under our combined leadership.

We also had to deviate from the norm in terms of living arrangements, since Goldenleaf’s territory is nestled right between Summervale and Norbury. A merger didn’t make sense geographically, so mine and Ace’s parents offered to stay in the Norbury packhouse while the three of us moved into the one in Summervale. By day, we spend equal time in both territories, but when we’re away at night, Cal and my dad keep an eye on things. And when we spend the occasional night in Norbury, Theo is all too happy to keep watch on Summervale.

It’s all a balancing act, but we’ve made it work, and once a month, we bring both packs together to run beneath the full moon. I always look forward to those nights. We alternate which packhouse we host them at, and with so many people, the after-party is epic.

“You take good care of our pups while they’re in, and we’ll handle them once they’re out,” I tell River, rubbing my hand over her rounded belly. A little flutter erupts against my palm, a grin splitting my face as I snap my gaze to Ace. “Dude, one of them just totally gave me a fist bump.”

“Fuck off,” he laughs, leaning over to place his hand on Riv’s belly beside mine.

I never thought I’d be raising kids with my best friend, but here we are. Regardless of biological parentage, both of us will equally be their dads; the five of us a family. Hopefully we’ll nail this whole raising pups thing.

The babies move again, and I know from the way Ace’s eyes light up that he felt it, too.

“Wasn’t Ares supposed to come tonight?” Beau asks, furrowing his brow. “Thought he was back in town.”

“He is, and he’ll be here,” I reply. “Brought someone back from Chicago with him, too.”

“Who?” Beau and Eli ask at the same time, their interest instantly piqued.

I shrug a shoulder, smirking. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” I say cryptically, glancing off toward the trees. Two people are emerging from them in our direction, but it isn’t Ares and his mystery guest. It’s River’s cousin Avery and her mate, Cam.

River hops up from my lap with an excited squeal, rushing over to meet Avery halfway.

“Hey!” I call after her in protest. “Thought you said you’d take it easy!”

She flips me the bird over her shoulder, completely ignoring my objection.

Guess some things never change.

Fifteen Years After That

RIVER

“Boys!” I shout furiously as I storm inside the packhouse from the garage, stomping down the hall toward the living room.

The little shits actually have the gall to try to dodge me. I catch them as they’re making a break for the stairs, the two of them skidding to a stop as I intercept their escape.

“Which one of you took the Chief for a joyride?” I growl, folding my arms over my chest sternly.

The twins point at one another, their hazel eyes wide on their identical faces. People tell me they’re the spitting image of my father when he was their age, and with the amount of mischief they get up to, that’s clearly not where the similarities end.

I slide my gaze back and forth between them, squinting in an effort to read their expressions for signs of guilt. “Walker Jacobsen,” I decide, pointing a finger at him. “It was you, wasn’t it? That’s it, you’re grounded for a month.”

“A month?!” he huffs, shaking his head disbelievingly. “I barely even drove it, I just went around the block!”

“It was my idea,” Conway admits sheepishly. “I dared him.”

I snap my gaze to my other son, my mouth dropping open. “Why would you do that?”

He just shrugs. “I don’t know, we were bored, and Dad keeps saying he’s gonna teach us to ride…”

“Then you wait for him to teach you, you don’t just take it upon yourselves to go out for a ride!” I admonish, throwing my head back in exasperation and scrubbing my hands over my face. “Just wait ‘til your fathers get home, they’re gonna…” I trail off at the sound of the front door swinging open, whipping a glance over my shoulder and breathing a sigh of relief when I see Seb and Ace stroll through.

“Uh oh,” Ace says, immediately picking up on the tension in the room. “What’d you boys do this time?”

“Conway dared Walker to go for a ride on my motorcycle,” I grit out, still fuming.

Ace winces, recognizing why I’m treating this as such a serious offense. I love my bike, sure, but even more, I love my sons. Walker could’ve gotten seriously injured if he’d wrecked. Or worse .

Funny, I finally understand that protective instinct my dad had.

“What the hell, guys?” Seb scoffs, looking between our pair of troublemakers.

“You said you’d teach us,” Conway mutters.

“Yeah, when you’re sixteen,” Seb replies flatly. “If either of you tries to ride again before then, I’ll make you wait another year.”

The boys’ eyes widen as Seb’s threat sinks in.

“We won’t do it again,” Walker blurts, shaking his head adamantly.

“Nope, we swear,” Conway agrees.

“ Good ,” Seb growls, jerking his chin. “Now go to your rooms so we can come up with an appropriate punishment for this one.”

Our sons take off toward the stairs, scrambling up them while I turn to face my mates with a sigh. “I’m not sure I’ll survive raising teenagers,” I grumble, stabbing my fingers through my hair.

Ace crosses the room to me, chuckling as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in close. “You’re doing great, babygirl. Hell, we’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve got.”

“At least there’s three of us,” Seb offers, coming up beside us and reaching for me.

“Thank fate,” I mutter as I step into his arms.

On days like this one, I’m glad we only have two children. Back when they were young, people kept asking when we’d have more, but we were perfectly content with our little family just the way it was. We still are. Not to mention that our sons create the chaos of ten kids.

As exhausting as it is to raise them, I suppose I should be thankful that our sons are so strong-willed. We’re not only raising teen boys– we’re raising future Alphas. When the three of us retire someday, each of the boys will inherit one of the packs to lead. Let’s hope we can teach them how to be responsible adults somewhere along the way.

“So, are we grounding them, then?” Ace asks, shrugging off his jacket and slinging it over a shoulder.

“I told them a month,” I mumble.

Seb slides his hands onto my shoulders, kneading my tense muscles. “Seems fair,” he drawls, my eyes closing as his hands work their magic. “Sorry we weren’t here when it happened, but we are now. Why don’t you let us help you relax?”

Ace’s hands land on my back and I lean into his touch, a soft moan falling from my lips as his thumbs rub circles up my spine. My aggravation melts away beneath their palms, our mate bonds flaring bright in my chest.

Just being near the two of them instantly makes me feel better. Even after two decades, I swear we’re more in love now than we’ve ever been. The beginnings were brutal, but it was worth every bit of pain for the three of us to be where we are now.

Together .

It was always supposed to be this way.

THE END